The goings-on in Washington took a local turn recently, when New Jersey’s chief justice wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly to request that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents cease arresting suspected illegal aliens within the state’s courthouses. Like California’s chief justice, who wrote a similar letter, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner pointed out that fear of arrest in courthouses could easily inhibit immigrants from appearances that might protect not only them, but public safety as well.
“When individuals fear they will be arrested for a civil immigration violation if they step foot in a courthouse, serious consequences are likely to follow,” Chief Justice Rabner wrote. “Witnesses to violent crimes may decide to stay away from court and remain silent. Victims of domestic violence and other offenses may choose not to testify against their attackers. Children and Families in need of court assistance may likewise avoid the courthouse. And defendants in state criminal matters may simply not appear.”
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